Netherland boss Ronald Koeman admits he is holding grudge against Ryan Gravenberch after ….
Koeman admits he is angry with Gravenberch after Holland’s collapse
Despite a growing injury crisis, Ryan Gravenberch has been left out of the Netherlands squad and Ronald Koeman has claimed he is unhappy with the Liverpool midfielder.
Ronald Koeman has admitted he has not forgiven Ryan Gravenberch for calling up the Netherlands under-21s last month.
Gravenberch opted to stay at Liverpool for the September international break, only arriving at Anfield on transfer day. The decision did not go down well with Koeman or Under-21 boss Michael Reiziger, who both targeted the Reds midfielder.
And now he has been left out of both the Under-21 and Senior squads for the October international break. Koeman admitted in a press conference ahead of the France clash on Friday that the sedative Gravenberch received last month is still stinging. “We have some opinion about leaving the Dutch youth or the Dutch national team. I still think he is a great talent and I hope he plays a lot in Liverpool and develops. Then he will definitely become a Dutch national team player,” he said. .
Koeman’s anger at Gravenberch comes even as he faces a mounting injury crisis. Sven Botman, Memphis Depay, Cody Gakpo, Frenkie de Jong, Matthijs de Ligt, Mark Flekken and Noa Lang were left out before the squad was created. He was dealt another blow on Monday when Steven Berghuis and Teun Koopmeiners were also sidelined for the upcoming games. Despite this, Koeman refused to call Gravenberch and insists he will focus on next week’s Euro qualifier against Greece.
Ryan Gravenberch hopes to be left out of the Netherlands squad.
“We have 23 players left. With injuries like this you are very dependent, everyone has to face it. But in this case it is very extreme. I’ve never experienced this before,” he said.
“The match against Greece is crucial. Everything you do against France is a bonus, but the most important match for us is Greece. It’s international football. When I see these guys come in and interact with each other. You shouldn’t take it away.
“But you wonder if so many countries should be invited to a qualifier. We used to play one international match and then you go back to the club. Now there are two and sometimes even three. Clubs are not interested in that.
“The tension is increasing. Now all the clubs ask the dates of all the players, what they do in training. The players even get a program from the club when they are here. The footballers don’t rest enough. Muscle injuries are all related to overuse.”
Gravenberch’s situation arose when Jeremie Frimpong was recalled to the squad after refusing to play for the under-21s last June. And Koeman suggested Gravenberch could take a similar route back into his reckoning.
Koeman said: “I will definitely talk to him about the situation. But I do that with every new player. We are getting better now.” Nigel de Jong has already spoken extensively with Jeremie Frimpong today about the last few months and why he wasn’t there.
